Date of birth:

January 31st, 1920 (Leonardtown/St. Mary's County, Maryland, the United States of America)

Date of death:

September 20th, 1944 (Nijmegen/Gelderland province, the Netherlands)

Buried on:

Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial
Plot: F. Row: 1. Grave: 7.

Service number:

33559942

Nationality:

American

Francis Leo Downs was born on January 31, 1920, in Leonardtown, St. Mary's County, Maryland, the United States of America. He was a son of Henry Leo Downs and Mary Lottie Evans. He probably had two brothers and three sisters. Before he joined the Army he was employed as an attendant working at a filling station. On February 25, 1943, he enlisted in the armed forces in Baltimore. He volunteered for the airborne forces and after completing his parachute training, he was assigned to the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) of the 82nd Airborne Division. It is unknown when exactly he was posted to this unit, however, his gained rewards suggest that he likely fought with 504th PIR already in Italy in 1943-44.

On September, 1944, private Francis Leo Downs jumped with 3rd Battalion 504th Parachute Regiment 82nd Airborne Division near Overasselt during the operation Market Garden. His regiment (504 PIR) subsequently seized the bridges over the river Maas and the Maas-Waal canal. In the afternoon of September 19 the 3rd Battalion of our hero had become divisional reserve of the 82nd Airborne Division. This meant that the unit was at full disposal of the Division Commander (General James Gavin) and that he could decide where and in what capacity it was to be deployed. Francis moved, with his battalion, via bridge number 7 (near Heumen) to the southern suburbs of Nijmegen. In the evening his battalion made camp in the Jonkerbosch. That night his battalion commander, Major Julian Aaron Cook, received the order from General Gavin, to cross the river Waal with boats the next day. His battalion was to launch an assault across the river Waal to seize the northern ramps of the two bridges near Nijmegen. On the morning of September 20, Francis with his fellow troopers moved to the southern bank of the river Waal, near the Nijmegen energy plant on the NYMA terrain. They had to wait long hours for the arrival of the canvas boats which were to be transported to Nijmegen from depots in Belgium.

At 15.00 hours the famous river crossing, led by Major Julian Cook, was launched. With 26 flimsy boats Cook, under murderous enemy fire, crossed, with his battalion headquarters, including Francis, and companies H and I, the river Waal in the first wave. Francis was killed during the river crossing in the assault on the German positions on the northern bank of the Waal. Private Francis Leo Downs was 24 years old.
He was initially buried at Molenhoek Cemetery near Nijmegen. After the WW2 he was buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery, Margraten, Netherlands; plot F, row 1, grave 7.

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• Photo 1: findagrave.com by Hudson Louie
• Photo 2: findagrave.com by Des Philippet
• - https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/people_details.php?PeopleID=31568
  - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56298303/francis-leo-downs
  - https://www.fold3.com/memorial/664285108/francis-leo-downs
  - https://www.ww2-airborne.us/units/504/504_trp_3.html
  - https://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/index.php/en/american-war-cemetery-margraten-d/56895-downs-francis-l
  - https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/downs-francis-l.17716/
  

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